SNP Business Convener Derek Mackay told the National newspaper:
“This is an encouraging poll, highlighting the SNP’s
extraordinary positive ratings after eight years in
government.”

He said the findings were also “a vote of confidence in the
strong start that the new team of SNP MPs has made in standing up
for Scotland’s interests at Westminster.”

“But we take absolutely nothing for granted, and will work
hard every day between now and next year’s Holyrood election to
retain the trust of people right across Scotland,” he added.

The poll comes as Fiona Hyslop, the Scottish government’s Cabinet
Secretary for Culture, Europe and External Affairs, claimed that
the BBC was selling Scotland short.

Her intervention follows the BBC’s annual review, which found
that Scotland was the only one of the four British nations where
the majority of people doubted the media outlet “was good at
representing their life in news and current-affairs
content.”

The review found that only 48 percent of Scottish viewers and
listeners trusted the BBC, compared to 61 percent of English
people.

Hyslop said the report’s conclusions indicated that reform was
needed, telling the National newspaper, “the UK Government
and BBC are continuing to sell Scotland short on
broadcasting.”

“When the BBC has failed to meet the expectations of its
audience, the answer is to seek positive reform which protects
the corporation’s independence, not seek to slash and diminish
it,” he added.

Bill Matthews, a BBC
trustee for Scotland, warned that the BBC was not seen as
impartial enough in the wake of the Independence referendum and
that coverage of the campaign was felt by some to adopt an
“anglicized perspective” at the expense of “wider
civic and community engagement.”